Aptx HD/LDAC IEM's
Aug 5, 2018 at 11:11 PM Thread Starter Post #1 of 30
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Silvermane

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Hi guys,

I've been looking around for a nice pair of wireless IEM's but wanted to make sure I could at a minimum get Aptx-HD on board. It's looking however like there isn't much out there that has this on board...
The only ones I'm seeing right now are either the Prostereo H2 or the Meters M-ears, neither of which particularly appeal to me.
On paper the Prostereo H2 looks amazing with its Aptx HD and LDAC support, but it's been getting some mixed reviews in terms of cable microphonics, build quality and personally I don't like the size of the buds either. I'd be happy to give it a go in case they'd be more economically priced, but getting my hands on them in Australia is making the leap of faith a trickier concept from a price pov especially since I also don't know if I would like their sound signature.

I've also looked at LDAC-only options but that basically limits it to Sony IEM's and they are predominantly designed as behind-the-neck with plastic base rather than just using a cable. Don't much care for this type of design either :)

Is there anything out there that I have missed?
Is there more coming anytime soon that I could hold out for as manufacturers refresh their line-up and start including newer formats?

In case there isn't really anything on the horizon worth waiting for with the new BT codecs, I would consider the Jabra 65t true wireless as they apparently are one of the few true wireless ones that work without too many disconnects. But I'm not sure how they rate sonically. Not looking to get top of the line in that case, but should still offer something decent in terms of sound. I like tight, accurate bass so nothing too tinny and nothing to overloaded with bass.

Thx in advance for your suggestions!
 
Aug 7, 2018 at 4:15 PM Post #2 of 30
I'm in pretty much the same boat as you and have also been looking at the Prostereo H2 units, but again aside from a handful of absolutely glowing reviews there's quite a few people who have found fault with build quality and not really rated the sound quality all that much.

I would just bite the bullet and get the sony 1000xm2 but I can't afford 2 pairs of hi-res headphones at the moment and I run with mine.

Did you get any further with your research?


MDR-XB80BS looks half tempting but even with LDAC support I'm not sure these are going to give me the level of audio quality I'm looking for.
 
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Aug 8, 2018 at 8:57 PM Post #3 of 30
I can't be of any help with the prostereo or the meters.

But I did purchase and return the jabra 65t. Reason I returned them was more ergonomics/build. They were too big for my wife's ears. In mine the medium tip was scratching one ear so I went to swap tips and the tip broke. Very thin rubber. I put on some comply which sealed better and sounded good, but they didn't fit in the charging case anymore.

Connection was great, although the bass was a little weak in my opinion. Not sure if they would meet your expectations. Maybe some EQ fiddling

Lastly. After uninstalling the jabra apps. Now my htc 10 has issues connecting to bluetooth.
 
Aug 8, 2018 at 9:46 PM Post #5 of 30
Nunook said:
I can't be of any help with the prostereo or the meters.

But I did purchase and return the jabra 65t. Reason I returned them was more ergonomics/build. They were too big for my wife's ears. In mine the medium tip was scratching one ear so I went to swap tips and the tip broke. Very thin rubber. I put on some comply which sealed better and sounded good, but they didn't fit in the charging case anymore.

Connection was great, although the bass was a little weak in my opinion. Not sure if they would meet your expectations. Maybe some EQ fiddling

Lastly. After uninstalling the jabra apps. Now my htc 10 has issues connecting to bluetooth.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm not completely sold on them even though they appear to be the no1 recommendation for true wireless. I'd give them a go if I could return them if I didn't like them, but full price in-store it's just not as appealing an option. And buying them elsewhere at a more interesting price would then not allow me to easily return them in case I either don't like the sound signature or the fit.
 
Oct 10, 2018 at 2:10 AM Post #7 of 30
I keep my eyes peeled and have seen nothing of note. There's literally hundreds of different brands popping up on kickstarter and indiegogo for true wireless earbuds making all kinds of outrageous claims. Most appear to be re-badgings of existing chinese wireless buds and I haven't seen any claiming LDAC or APT-X HD just yet.

How you can claim supreme sound quality using the SBC codec without getting arrested I do not know.

These are the only ones that have brought me back for a second look. They have been extremely careful not to give any actual information about the codec, but are calling it 'lossless' and demonstrating extremely low latency. Units are starting to arrive with customers now so I will wait for some real-world reviews and check in again. They are dual-driver, high level of water resistance etc.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/soundflux-industry-leading-wireless-headphones#/
 
Oct 10, 2018 at 4:21 AM Post #9 of 30
serman005 said:
I don't see anything out there satisfying all your criteria, FWIW. :frowning2:
Click to expand...
I ended up buying the 1000xm2 but I'm pretty disappointed to be honest. I'm not sure why everyone raves about the sound quality. They're good, but nowhere near worth the pricetag in my view. I'd rather a good pair of wireless earbuds - i'm sure something will come along.

I may well sell the Sony's and buy the Prostereo H2 to see for myself.
 
Oct 10, 2018 at 7:14 AM Post #10 of 30
I saw someone added rha trueconnect to the head gear list. No review yet, but rha website looks interesting.
 
Oct 11, 2018 at 11:00 PM Post #11 of 30
bandario said:
I keep my eyes peeled and have seen nothing of note. There's literally hundreds of different brands popping up on kickstarter and indiegogo for true wireless earbuds making all kinds of outrageous claims. Most appear to be re-badgings of existing chinese wireless buds and I haven't seen any claiming LDAC or APT-X HD just yet.

How you can claim supreme sound quality using the SBC codec without getting arrested I do not know.

These are the only ones that have brought me back for a second look. They have been extremely careful not to give any actual information about the codec, but are calling it 'lossless' and demonstrating extremely low latency. Units are starting to arrive with customers now so I will wait for some real-world reviews and check in again. They are dual-driver, high level of water resistance etc.

https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/soundflux-industry-leading-wireless-headphones#/
Click to expand...

Thx Bandario, certainly an interesting option!
Dual driver is definitely a plus but I'm afraid it's come at the cost of increased size. It looks like it might stick out a bit too much to my taste.
At that price though it's still tempting to give it a go. Shame they don't clearly call out the 'lossless' part. Would certainly seperate them further from the rebadged chinese clone business :wink:
 
Oct 11, 2018 at 11:27 PM Post #14 of 30
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